New Commitment on Bastille Day
by Darkmoose84
Summary: The characters have grown and now have a night to themselves on Bastille Day. Chat has something he would like to ask his Ladybug and wants to make sure everything is perfect for the occasion.


"Paris was a universe whole and entire unto herself, hollowed and fashioned by history[...]Even the majestic trees that graced and sheltered her streets were attuned to her–and the waters of the Seine, contained and beautiful as they wound through her heart; so that the earth on that spot, so shaped by blood and consciousness, had ceased to be the earth and had become Paris." – Anne Rice

"People think I'm crazy\But they don't know\Thought love had failed me\But now, they're watching it grow\Angel, please don't go\I miss you when you're gone\They say I'm a silly girl\But I'm not a fool\People say they know me\But they don't see\My heart's your future\Your future is me" – Fleetwood Mac, "Only Over You"

Paris, France

Tuesday, July 14th, 2026

In spite of the heavy traffic and the crowds running and laughing this way and that through the warm-lit streets of the evening, the limo was able to pull up next to the street corner of Chez Ribe. Out of the back door came the two new fledgling fashion designers of Agreste industries. These of course were none other than Adrien and Marinette, a year out of University and preparing for restoring the reputation of Gabriel's fashion industry. But for Bastille Day celebration, they would do their best to unplug from it. They walked into the noisy cafe, and a friendly hostess was there to greet them.

"Table for two, Mr. Agreste?" she asked politely.

"You got it!" Adrien smiled, "At the usual spot." With that, the hostess lead them to where they would sit. Marinette cringed at how many people were there, as it seemed a little too loud for her taste, but she was willing to bear it, as the booth they had seemed to allow her and Adrien to stay in their own little world. "Well, I said I was determined to go out on Bastille Day."

"Yeah," Marinette sighed, "At least everyone is having fun." She looked around the room, at the group of guys laughing and joking with each other, at the couples cuddling with each other in the opposite booth. At the families whose kids were still out this late just so they could see the fireworks from the Eiffel Tower later. The thought both warmed her heart and made it sink into her stomach at the same time.

They were heroes. Could their perilous lives include a family?

She looked back at Adrien, who was now looking at his phone.

"Hey, Kitty!" Marinette yelped in frustration but then chuckled and grabbed his hand, "I thought we agreed to unplug from stuff!"

"Sorry, M'Lady," Adrien put his phone away and kissed Marinette's hand, "It's just hard for me to stop and unwind. You know how it is, right?"

"Oh trust me," Marinette rolled her eyes, "I know all about how that works." She then took his hand and placed it on her cheek, closing her eyes as she felt his soft skin against hers. "There. Does that help take your mind off things?"

"You always know how to bring me out of things, Bugaboo," Adrien winked, "But yeah, it's tough trying to rebuild the reputation of an industry when your father..." His mind began slipping back to what happened years ago, sliding backwards into the abyss of the past. He thought again about what happened to his father Gabriel, to his mother Emilie, to Natalie, to Lila. (Though he didn't feel as bad about her, if he was being honest with himself; she brought what had happened upon herself, when all was said and done)

"Hey," Marinette squeezed his hand on the table to try and get his attention, "I know that look...just think about now, okay? Only the moment."

"Sorry, Princess," Adrien shook his head, "Tough to shake bad memories of...what happened."

"Yeah," Marinette muttered, "I still have nightmares sometimes...But right now, we're here, and we should enjoy it. I already called in to work tomorrow, and I hope you did, too."

"Definitely don't think I'll be doing much working tomorrow," Adrien winked again, but then he decided to joke, "But how am I going to see what our other friends are doing if I can't check social media?"

"Then let me fill you in, silly Kitty," Marinette giggled, "Chloe and Sabrina are starting their own fashion and makeup store. I guess we'll have some healthy competition later if it takes off."

"That's still oddly fitting of you and her," Adrien shrugged, and then he lowered his voice, "Do you think it was wise to let her keep full guardianship of the Bee Miraculous?"

"Have I ever been wrong?" But then Marinette shook her head in embarrassment, "DON'T ANSWER THAT! But yes, I felt it was the right decision. She's more than earned it. Apparently, she's gained media attention for donating to various charities, including rebuilding the Amazon rainforests. They're calling her one of the biggest philanthropists of the 21st century."

"Talk about a 180 of what she used to be," Adrien replied with a slight shock.

"Second bit of news," Marinette continued, "Kagami and Luka are starting up their own businesses as well. Kagami is starting up a fencing and kendo studio, while Luka is going to be teaching guitar lessons out of their new apartment."

"Wow," Adrien gave a small laugh, "The most uptight person and the most tranquil person I know, living together. Kind of makes me think of Creation and Destruction coming together." He looked into Marinette's eyes and kissed her hand.

"Very similar, Kitty," Marinette blushed and smiled. Just then, their food arrived. Adrien's was an order to escargot cooked with various herbs (with a croissant on the side), while Marinette had rigatoni baked with some sweet red sauce and spices. The two ate with avidity, as both had abstained from eating until they went out together that night. "And this tastes divine."

"You haven't been here before?"

"Can't say I have," Marinette replied between bites, "We've really only passed through Champs de Mars a few times when we were fighting a villain. Never really got to take advantage of the local cuisine."

"We used to come here sometimes," Adrien reminisced, "when my father was trying to entertain foreign guests…"

"Well you're here right now with me," Marinette brought him back to the present, grabbing his hand, her fingertips pressing into his palm, "That's all that matters."

"You're right," Adrien sighed. "And I've got a bit of news, too."

"What is it?"

"Well," Adrien proceeded, "We may not have seen the new Hawk Moth in weeks, but I'm starting to worry he might not be the only super villain in the world. I was reading that in Cairo, there was a potential villain calling himself the Dark Pharaoh, though he seems very different from the akumatized Pharaoh we fought years ago. He seems to have some sort of mind manipulation and shape changing powers. At least, that's what reports say anyways." Marinette grew very silent. "But that's all the way over there, not here. Lets not think about it and enjoy the night."

"And last, but not least," Marinette stopped eating to continue, this time looking around for a moment before whispering, "I'm not supposed to say anything, but I can't contain it. Alya just told me she and Nino are having their first child."

"Wait, what?" Adrien shook his head.

"Yeah, well," Marinette shrugged, "They did marry young. They've been together since high school, so it kinda made sense for them. She says they're going to need to break from being Rena Rouge and Carapace for a little while."

"So THAT'S why Nino was acting all weird last time we spoke," Adrien chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm happy for them," Marinette's voice trailed off as she looked at the adjacent family sitting across from them. The mother was cuddling one of the little girls who was beginning to get very tired and restless. She held her close and kissed her forehead, asking if they needed to go home and to bed. The little girl still protested in her tired state that she wanted to see the fireworks. Marinette let out a forlorn sigh, thinking again about her situation.

"Hey, M'Lady," Adrien interrupted her thoughts, "The fireworks around going to start fairly soon, so we should head to the Eiffel Tower. But…"

"What is it, my sweet Cat?"

"There's something I want to ask you," Adrien followed, "But we need to find a private place to talk about it." The two finished their dinner, Adrien placed the Euros for payment on the table with the bill (along with a very generous tip), and the couple headed out through the back door of the restaurant and into a nearby ally. "Okay, Plagg, it's safe to come out."

"Tikki," Marinette raised an eyebrow, "I'm not sure what's going on, but I think you might be needed for this."

"She is," Adrien responded as the two kwamis flew from their respective artifacts.

"Whaaa," Plagg yawned, "Well, there better be cheese involved." To that, Adrien reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a piece of camenbert, of which Plagg quickly devoured. "You read my mind."

"What could it be, Adrien?" Tikki asked sweetly.

"Well," Adrien began nervously, "the Eiffel Tower is closed for tours due to the fireworks show, but I still wanted to take you up there tonight."

"And you're thinking we should transform into our hero-selves in order to leap up there?" Marinette inquired.

"Exactly," Adrien nodded, "Because…"

"But wouldn't that be exploiting your powers?" Tikki asked with some frustration, "You shouldn't use this for personal gain or some pleasure jaunt."

"I have a very good reason!" Adrien responded.

"And I think I know what this is about," Plagg interjected and gestured for Tikki to come close, "The man's got a plan, and I need to share it." He began to whisper into the little kwami's ear, and her eyes went wide with shock. All the while, Marinette felt increasingly nervous that someone would come by and see them, especially with how busy the city was tonight. But the conversation finished with Tikki floating back towards her.

"Marinette, we should transform," Tikki said with the same wide eyes, "We're making an exception tonight."

"But what is this abou…?" Marinette began to ask.

"Just do it now!" Tikki blurted out in a very serious agitation that she rarely saw from her tiny friend.

"Okay… Transform me!" (or did she yell "Spots On?") In seconds, her short, silky flower print dress transformed into the red and black suit to which she was so accustomed through the years.

"Plagg…Transform me!" (or did he yell "Claws Out?") Soon, Adrien was once again in his signature black leather cat suit. "Ready?"

"Okay," Ladybug responded with resignation, "Meet you up there, I guess."

"Trust me, Bugaboo," Chat said, "You're gonna love this!"

"And you're still calling me that," Ladybug laughed, "even after all these years."

The two leaped to the roof with the help of their respective yo-yo and extending staff until they landed on the roof of the cafe. They then leapt from roof to roof over the Place Dauphine architecture that so defined the city. The lights from the streets below, as well as the noisy crowds racing to and fro, gave the city a sense of life that one could only appreciate from being at the heroes' current altitude. The smells of various sweet and savory dishes wafted upward to the sky and gave the two a euphoric feeling as they dashed towards the Eiffel Tower. Eventually, Chat picked up Ladybug and elevated the two of them from the roof to the summit of the tower using an extra extension power within the staff.

Below, they could see the massive crowd in front of the tower, crossing the river bridge and extending all the way to the Palais de Chaillot, which had streams of red, white, and blue light streaming across its usually beige walls.

"We've been up here before," Ladybug mused, "But we've never had the opportunity to really admire the view."

"And that's one of the reasons I wanted to bring you here, M'Lady," Chat followed, "I wanted you to see this city, the city we've saved countless times together. You've been such a constant in my life, Marinette, that I can't imagine my life without you."

"And neither can I you," Ladybug smiled.

"Which is why…" There was a nervousness in his voice that seemed uncharacteristic of him, "I wanted to ask…" Just then, a loud collection of bangs went off from below, and a burst of red, white, and blue lights flashed across our heroes as Chat knelt down and held out a small red box with a small ring inside of it. It was a silver band with a small garnet stone embedded in it. As Marinette gazed into the stone, with the way the gem was cut, she could swear she thought she small small black spots inside the dark red stone, but it could have been due to the light; looking at it was hypnotic to say the least. "My Lady, my princess, my Bugaboo, my Mari…will you please marry this silly kitty?"

"Oh Chat," Ladybug's heart raced at such a pace she thought it would burst from her chest, "I love you. But we're superheroes; our lives are too complicated for that…"

"Never stopped other heroes in either history or the comics," Chat replied, "It would be another piece to balance, and I see no reason we can't. And we've kept our identities from the general public this long; I think we're getting better about it. Marinette, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to start a family with you. And I want to grow old with you…No matter the cost. So, without overstepping myself, I would like to ask again that y—"

"If that's the case," Ladybug put her fingertips to Chat's lips to silence him. She then reached into her pouch and retrieved a small black box from it. She opened it to reveal a titanium band with a bright emerald embedded in it. "Will you please marry me, my gorgeous, funny, and all around wonderful cat?"

"I don't understand," Chat replied, shocked, "If you were opposed to it…"

"I've thought about it, too," Ladybug responded, "And my insecurities about who we are and the nature of our lives kept me from asking. But you're right, we need to take this chance if we want to stay with each other. I want you in my life, my dear Adrien, but I think there's more we need to do before we start our family. There are more villains to face and more cities to save. Let's get married and afterwards see if we can't track down this Dark Pharaoh you mentioned. Will you accept this proposal, my cat?"

"Yes," he replied. The two placed their given rings on each other's fingers and kissed, long and deep as the red, white, and blue blasts continued above and below them, a spark of their new commitment to each other ignited.

"I just want to leap down there and show all of Paris that we're now engaged," Chat smiled.

"Let's save that for tomorrow, silly kitty," Ladybug laughed, "Tonight, it's Bastille Day; let it be their night. We'll make the announcement tomorrow, first to Alya and Nino, then the world."

The two kissed once more, still standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower, their love elevated above all of Paris. It was an exalted testimony of love to represent the feeling for that which the city of Paris was known, all on the this celebratory night of which they wished would never end.


End file.
